Stay on target

Sudan, 45, was being treated for age-related health issues and a series of infections.

When his condition worsened over the weekend, a veterinary team decided to euthanize him. Sudan died at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, where he lived under 24-hour armed surveillance for almost a decade.

“We at Ol Pejeta are all saddened by Sudan’s death,” CEO Richard Vigne said in a statement.

In 2009, the last four northern white rhinos—two males and two females—were moved from a Czech Republic zoo to Kenya, where it was hoped the climate and grasslands (similar to the subspecies’ native habitat) would encourage breeding.

Despite the productive conditions, there were no successful pregnancies. Tests later confirmed neither female was capable of natural reproduction; only one was fertile enough to conceive artificially.

Sudan, however, previously sired two offspring—one of which died in 2015; daughter Najin and granddaughter Fatu remain at Ol Pejeta, the only two northern white rhinos left on the planet.

“We can only hope that the world learns from the sad loss of Sudan, and takes every measure to end all trade in rhino horn,” WildAid CEO Peter Knights said. “While prices of rhino horn are falling in China and Vietnam, poaching for horn still threatens all rhino species.”

Consumer demand in China and Vietnam has escalated illegal hunting over the past ten years; since 2013, South Africa lost more than 1,000 rhinos each year to poachers, who sell the horns for use in purported health tonics and carvings.

Sudan has served as a global ambassador for his species, appearing in campaigns and public service announcements, and making appearances alongside public figures like pro basketball player Yao Ming.

The majestic Sudan (via Jan Stejskal)

“He was an amazing rhino … and will be remembered for the work he did to raise awareness globally of the plight facing not only rhinos, but also the many thousands of other species facing extinction as a result of unsustainable human activity,” Vigne said. “One day, his demise will hopefully be seen as a seminal moment for conservationists worldwide.”

For now, scientists’ best (and probably only) chance to preserve this subspecies is through in vitro fertilization (IVF): Conservationists plan to conduct the first-ever procedure to remove egg cells from females, fertilize them with northern white males’ stored semen, and insert the embryos into surrogate female southern white rhinos.

The estimated cost for this operation could be as much as $9 million.

“Yet this is the hope for preserving an entire subspecies,” according to San Francisco-based environmental organization WildAid, which is collecting donations to help fund the undertaking.